Drum.



H. D. ELKNS L E. BALL.

DRUM.

APPLIGATION FILED 0GT.29.1913.

Patented Dec. 22, 1.914u

f ...EEES-E D. ELKXNS AND EWIN BALL, OF MCARCN, INDIANA.

DRUM.

1,121,999, Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914..

Application tiled 9ct-ober 29, 1313. Serial No. 798,084.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known, that we, laannr D. ELKINS and EDWIN BALL, citizens oi the United tates, residing at Marion, in the county of Grant and State of indiana, have invented certain new and useful provements in Drums, of which the tollowing is a speciiication.

rlhe present invention has i'or its object to provide an improved form of drum, and specifically our aim has been to provide an instrument of this nature embodying anovel form of adjusting hoop by means of the adjustment of which hoop the drum head may be properly tensioned to insure a single tone, irrespective of the point in its surface on which it is struck.

In carrying out our invention it is contemplated to employ as a member of the adjusting hoop a removable guard ring or plate whereby the 'fiesh hoop to which the head is secured may be effectively housed :trom exposure to moisture and dust.

Another object of this construction is to provide means for positively holding the sleeves disposed about the drum body to receive the adjusting` bolts for regulating the tension of the drum heads Jrom rotation, said means coacting with the fastening members for the sleeve supports.

W' ith the above and other objects in view, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a fragmentary view or" a drum constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig'. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the adjusting means for tensioning the drum heads.

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several iigures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Specifically describing our embodiment of this invention, and referring to the drawings, the numeral l denotes the drum shell of the usual cylindrical form and composed of suitable light material such as aluminum, ot a suilicient strength to prevent likelihood of distortion o1 said shell under stress ot the tensioning means for the drum heads, the upper one of which is designated 2 and the lower 3. As is customary, the drum heads are secured to flesh hoops 4, 5, which hoops are disposed about the end portions of the drum shell l and connected to adjusting means for tensioning' said heads, as will now be described.

About each end of the drum shell is disposed an adjusting hoop or ring 6, said ri being ot' similar construction so that it will be necessary only to describe one of the saine. The ring G is formed with an annular ygroove 7 about its lower and inner edge and into this groove is received the cooperating iiesh hoop a or 5 hereinbe'fore mentioned. Beneath the adjusting hoop 6 and preferably conlorming to its width is secured by means of screws or similar fastening members 8 a guard plate or ring 9 which, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, iiorms a closure for the groove i' and e'i'ectually houses the iesh hoop disposed in said ring so as to protect the drum head about said flesh hoop from exposure to moisture or dust as well as provide a most effective clamping arrangement by means or' which the heads may be prevented from slipping` in adjusting the same. This is an important feature of our drum construction as will be readily understood from those skilled in the art to which this invention refers.

Secured to the body or shell l of the drum at intervals thereabout and in alined pairs are the posts l0, ll, which posts form supports for sleeves 12, each of which is reduced at its extremities and seated in openings at the outer extremities of said posts which project laterally from the drum shell. These. posts l0, 1l are secured to the shell l by means of screws or similar fastening members 13 passing from the interior of the shell through the same and into the base of each post. rihe adjusting hoops at each end of the drum as well as their coperating guard plates are provided with openings therethrough to receive the adjusting bolts lil which at one end are formed with a winged nut let for operating the same and at their other end said bolts are threaded so as to be screwed into the internally threaded ends or the sleeves l2, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 ot the drawing.

lt will be obvious that to regulate the tension of the drum heads it is only necessary to screw the adjusting bolts 14: inwardly or outwardly, as the case may be, until the proper tension has been provided for said heads which are strained by the movable pin 15.

of said pin impinges against the reduced end' portion of the sleeve 12 which is seated in said post. It will thus be understood that the sleeve 12 is secured from rotation simultaneously with the fixing of said post to the drum shell.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1 1. In a drum, the combination of a body or shell, a head for said shell, an adjusting hoop for said head having an annular groove therein, a flesh hoop disposed in said groove and about which the head is engaged, and a guard plate removably secured beneath'and to the adjusting hoop for operation therewith when adjusting the tension of the head, said plate constituting a closure for said groove whereby to entirely house that portion of the head engaged by the flesh hoop.

2. In a drum, the combination of a shell,

Y heads for said shell, head adjusting hoops,

means foradjusting said hoops comprising adjusting bolts, threaded sleeves receiving said bolts, supports carried by the shell for holding said sleeves, means for securing said supports to the shell, and means operable by said securing means and disposed in the supports intermediate the securing means aforesaid and the sleeve to hold the latter from rotation upon adjustment of said hoop adjusting means.

Y 3. In a drum, the combination of a shell, heads for said shell, head adjusting hoops, means for adjusting said hoops comprising adjusting bolts, threaded sleeves receiving said bolts, supports carried by the shell for holding said sleeves, means for securing said supports to the shell, said supports having passages therein, and pins movable in said passages with which the securing means for thel supports coperate whereby to impinge said pins against the sleeves to hold the latter from rotation'.

i. In a drum, the combination of a body or shell, a head for .said shell, an adjusting hoop for adjusting said head, adjusting means for adjusting said hoop comprising threaded sleeves, and operating means connected with the hoop and sleeves, supports for said sleeves, and means common to the support and the sleeves for securing the former vto the shell and holding the sleeves immovable in the support.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY D. ELKINS. EDWIN BALL. Witnesses:

Hmmm: FRYE,y CHAs. R. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

